Skinny Love
by nxcola
Summary: Join Katie Gardner, a daughter of Demeter, and Travis Stoll, a son of Hermes in their back and forth romance and humor. So what are you waiting for? Go. Read. The. First. Chapter!
1. A

**.Asters & an Asphodel.**

_**.Katie.**_

"By the gods, can't you really give my sister a damn break? Come on! She just needs a day or two-"

"David, it is perfectly fine." I continued, "Travis has been trying to talk me into this for weeks. I suppose I could finish it by going with him."

Somewhere in those mischievous eyes of his bloomed hope. Hope for-

My thoughts were interrupted as my name came out of his mouth. "Pardon me?"

"Uh, Kates.. Shall we go? It's gonna en-"

"Just go!" David, my half-sibling ordered. His voice was extremely commanding, but a smirk immediately tugged at the corner of his mouth. I shook my head teasingly, not hiding the fact that I was, too, smiling a little myself.

_********_

The son of Hermes led the way, holding my left hand as we got deeper into the maze. We talked little, and I need to admit- Travis Stoll isn't as bad as I thought. He had a soothing voice with an amazing laugh, and a full upper lip which matches his striking blue eyes. Curly, walnut-colored hair that usually brush his forehead was pushed back by a turquoise beanie tonight, making his cheekbones look sharper, his eyes.._bluer_. Olive skin covered his whole body. His arms were skinny, and so were his legs, but I'm not allowed to assume that he can't be as tough as the others. I've seen him fight and run, and gods, he isn't a weakling as anyone would think. Out of fifty sword battles, he won thirty-four of them, which in fact, is impressive. Travis Stoll is gorge- No. NO!

_Aphrodite, keep your schist with-_

"Kates!" Travis whispered.

"What is it?"

It was dark already, and only the moonlight lit our way through the corn maze Travis dragged me in to. He let go of my hand and crouched down. Alarmed, I unsheathed my dagger. I backed away a little, somehow disappointed that our hang out was gonna need rescheduling.

Travis stood up after a while, brushing the dirt off his plaid knee length shorts. I'm being so.. observant for some odd reason. Maybe because I'm still jittery because of the test Chiron gave us, or maybe because _Travis himself_ makes _me_ jittery.. Wait, what?

Upon seeing my elongated knife, Travis straightened, chuckling as he did so. I became self-conscious and once again slipped the dagger in its sheath.

"Close your eyes, Katie."

Dubiously, I replied, "What? Why?"

"Katie Aleena Gardner, close your eyes."

I shut my eyes tightly as I could, astonished by Travis' commanding voice.

Seconds passed and a minute came, and yet, Travis still wants my eyes shut. I had a feeling that he was just playing with me again.

So, I opened my eyes and found _Prankster King #1_ on a mission that involves grunting and strangling a little patch of asters and asphodels.

I laughed at the sight, it was funny and cheeky, and somehow, kinda _cute_. Travis turned his head to look at me as the air got filled up with laughter.

"You weren't supposed to look!" he exclaimed, a twist of frustration in his voice.

"By the gods, Stoll. It had been a minute when you told me to shut my eyes, and gods of Olympus, I got suspicious."

The son of Hermes hesitated before he spoke again, now in a brighter mood. "Alas, if that's what pleases you, Miss Gardner. Oh and by the way, your laugh is _godly_ amazing. You should use it more often," he winked before turning to work on his flowers.

I was so flattered by the compliment that the next few minutes went by in a blur. I stood there, amazed and surprised with a boy towering over a patch of asters, even if he was crouching. It may have been a small compliment, though no one had ever remarked my laugh.

"Miss Katie Aleena Gardner," Travis announced, breaking my daze.

"Yes?"

"I've got something for you, Miss," and with that, he revealed a small bouquet of asters and an asphodel. I grinned crazily. The happiness bubbling inside me was against my will, and it was sudden. Thank Demeter that I restrained the crazy grin from happening any longer.

Nodding, I received the flowers as he handed it. His nose were only inches away from mine now, due to the fact that he stepped towards me. I felt him breathe, his lips slightly parted and the corners of his mouth was slightly curled as well. He reached out for me, and he grabbed my waist as a new jittery feeling entered my chest. My heart gained speed as Stoll tilted his head a tad bit, and I found myself leaning into his chest- I was too short for him, a good four inches shorter. The tension broke as a group of demigods whooped and cheered in a nearby path, making me and Travis spring away from each other.

The color ran up his cheeks as his confidence a minute ago left him. I, myself felt the redness surge its way upwards. _If only it happened,_I thought.

Though, I guess the asters and the asphodel would work for now. By that, I frantically grabbed Travis Stoll and planted a kiss on his cheek, running as fast as I could afterwards. The weight of his confusion and astonishment and surprise was overwhelming while he stared after me as I run into the darkness to finish the maze.

Perhaps the asters and the asphodel is a sign of a new beginning.


	2. B

.Broken Hearts.

.Travis.

"Katie Gardner!" I yelled, desperately looking for her.

After Katie's 'friendly'kiss in that moonlit maze, she hasn't spoken to me ever since. I tried conversing with her, though she ignores me. It's either she that, or she growls at me.

Hours ticked and days came. Weeks passed and a whole month kissed time and left. Still no real talk with Katie. My mind whirled every night, replaying the day Flower Girl planted a kiss on my cheek, one that is dangerously close to my lips. Remembering those brief, memorable moments. The way her emerald green eyes twinkled, to the way her tawny hair raced behind her. Her thousand-watt smile. Katie Gardner is beautiful, no doubt. But reliving these memories made me miss her more.

I trudged through those Katie Gardener-less days with sadness buried in my core. Connor tried helping me through. Not much progress, until the day he started talking to some son of Aphrodite. He said that if I asked Katie some sort of weird ass girl advice, she'd get suspicious. The daughter of Demeter isn't stupid. I thought it was silly, but they said it was worth the trouble.

And that's the reason why I'm running towards the strawberry fields right at the moment. When I got there, Katie was nowhere in sight. I walked over to one of her siblings. It was the most appropriate thing to do at the moment.

Katie's sibling replied in a low voice, "She's at the cabin."

I only nodded in reply. There were things that mattered more than gratification right then.

The next few minutes went by in a blur. They were so brief that I only remembered bits and pieces of it. Racings back to the circle of cabins were one of them, and the moment I laid my eyes on Cabin 4.

I was so taken aback with what I saw that I just stood there, paralyzed in time.

Katie giggled at something Will Solace said, a son of the sun god. They sat on one of the honeysuckle-covered benches the twelve year olds laid out on their porch recently. The project is impressively majestic, though the activity on the bench wasn't flattering — at least not for me.

Will positioned himself close to Katie, maybe a little _too_ close in my opinion. A guitar sat on his lap as melodies created by the son of Apollo danced around the daughter of Demeter. Katie seemed happy, with roses on her lap, no doubt from her new admirer, Will Solace.

_But Katie doesn't like roses. She thinks they're overrated, and she herself prefers camellias instead,_ a voice inside my head said.

_Why does it matter anyway? It's not like she's my girlfriend or anything. It's hopeless, _I snapped at the voice.

Slowly, I turned on my heels, astonished. I heard a girl's voice calling my name, but it seemed distant. My mind said that I don't care anymore. Not about Katie, not even about love.

But a small part of me still screams for Demeter's daughter, and it was my heart.


	3. C

**.Child of Love.**

**.Katie.**

It had been days since Travis Stoll turned his back on me.

I have been trying to talk to the boy, but he declines any invitation and waves off every small talk. Most of my _Drachmas_ were used on trying to Iris Message him, and each time was declined, too. Paper and scrolls were low in our cabin; a result of my unanswered letters to _Prankster King #1._

Every night was restless; my thoughts were wild enough to consume every single cell in a Katie Gardner. Sleeping was useless, too, for I would stir on the first minute and wake up on the fifth. So I just lay there, staring into the empty darkness looming above me, unable to organize the raging thoughts in my mind.

I replayed that evening a dozen times, that night when my frustration with Travis ended, that night when the son of Hermes's lips were only inches away from mine, and that night that the love goddess was right, that I had fallen for a Stoll. Of course I did my best to conceal my feelings, avoiding him since that evening. Because who knows? What if he was just pretending to like me, _assuming_ that he does. Or what if some of his friends just dared him to do it? _Gods._ Each question made my heart ache.

Each day dragged longer than usual without Travis. It almost drove me crazy.

Friday finally came, and soon Capture the Flag is to begin. After Solace helped me strap my armor on, he gave me a wink before leaving to help the younger campers to strap theirs on. Not even a minute has passed when Travis stood before me, all walnut colored curls (naturally windblown at moment) and striking blue eyes.

"Kates," was all he said.

"Travis."

He reached out as if to caress my face, thought better, and quickly retreated without a second's hesitation. All the eagerness in me was replaced with disappointment.

Will Solace returned me to reality. The son of Apollo was ready to announce the teams.

"Athena has allied themselves with Poseidon, Apollo, Demeter, Dionysus, Hypnos, and Hecate." He continued, "And as usual, they get blue. Ares and allies will get red."

A snicker came from Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase on the word 'blue.' Those two spends their time seventy-six point thirty percent of—

"Katie?" a boy in front of me asked. He still was the same one, Travis Stoll.

Dubiously, I stared and blurted out the word: "What?"

Travis chuckled, as if my caught-off-guard moments were his favorite show. I immediately felt the scarlet hue darkening my cheeks.

"Good luck Gardner, and play safe," he repeated for me before taking off with a smirk on his face.

Nine minutes has passed and both teams haven't even lifted a finger. The tension hung restlessly in the summer air. We all know that the children of Hermes will be the first to invade enemy territory on the eleventh minute, out of cabin pride, I don't know. An Apollo camper overheard Chris Rodriguez talking to Clarisse la Rue about it.

The tenth minute came.

Will and Malcolm barked orders; and Solace's voice echoed around us, clear and melodious as music, Malcolm's with an air of authority, like a future politician's. I checked my watch; it was twenty-two seconds before eight forty-one, the eleventh minute.

Fifteen seconds...

Eight...

Three...

Everything happened all at once.

I stood as border patrol, so I was the first one to see them coming. Yanking my sword free, I yelled for the archers and runners to brace themselves. Suddenly, there was a shower of gold, silver, green, blue, and violet sparks from the Hecate campers. Pebbles from the Hermes kids charging towards the borders rained on us, barely causing damage, though indeed causing a lot of distraction. The archers' harmless arrows made out of sound waves that swept the enemies' off their feet. It was the most chaotic Capture the Flag in weeks.

And suddenly I was locked in combat with someone.

He laughed, one so familiar. _Travis Stoll. _He parried most of my attacks, and if not, he would side step. Travis finally grazed my cheek, near my cheekbone. A scarlet hued gash opened up, a drop or two of fresh blood staining my flushed face. He stopped in the middle of a killing arc, noticing my injury. Lowering his blade, Travis's eyes swam with so much emotions that I could only recall one. It was concern.

"Oh gods. I'm sorry — " Travis breathed.

But I've startled him already. I lunged for his lowered blade, hooked my own sword to his, and with one yank, my opponent was disarmed. He looked at me in disbelief and astonishment — before he crumpled on the ground. An arrow — a real, pointed one — pierced his left flank, just where his armor straps were.

I glanced around to see who shot it.

Will Solace on a tree roughly ten meters away from where I was at. He stared at me, a grim expression on his face. Rage bubbled inside of me, and my sword landed on the ground with an angry _thud_. Before I could even think things through, tendrils of weeds were already climbing the trunk of the oak Will perched on. The plants grabbed hold of his ankles, dragging him down. It wouldn't have caused him much damage anyway, he was just five feet off the ground.

My mind went back to Travis, who was a motionless heap on the ground. Connor Stoll, Travis's younger brother, seemed to have noticed his sibling's injury. He was fighting his way towards us, dodging pebbles, magic, and arrows all at once.

I knelt down by the motionless boy. After checking his pulse, I positioned him on my lap so I can take his helmet off.

"Kates?" someone croaked. The voice was soft, but it was steady. "Why are you crying?"

"Travis Harry Stoll!" I cried, wiping the damn tears off my cheeks. "You idiot! You stupid, careless —"

I was cut off short.

Travis magically managed to sit up, but to crash his lips on mine, I didn't know where he got that. He pulled away immediately, lingering a bit as he inched away. I stared at him breathlessly, disappointed and surprised at the same time. All I wanted was to kiss him again, just longer this time. I wanted to entwine my fingers in his hair, to pull him closer, to touch him, and just caress his face, and tell him it's alright, that it's going to be okay. But I suppose that could wait, if I still want him alive. He's losing a lot of blood already from his wound.

Finally, I managed to talk.

"Trav, we should go. Connor's here." And when I said the last of my words, Connor Stoll halted to a stop in front of us.

"Travis," he said, acknowledging his brother.

"I'm okay," the wounded one replied.

"An arrow just pierced your left — oh dear Rhea, it's still there!"

As if just noticing, he pulled the arrow out effortlessly. "Connor, I'm okay —"

"_Di immortals! _Travis! Oh gods," came from a pretty, blue-eyed girl. Aphrodite's child, no doubt.

The pretty faced girl knelt next to me and _shoved _me away. She started fussing over poor Travis, talking and saying encouraging words while she wondered how to remove the armor's straps. The scene angered me for some reason.

"Hey Pretty Face! What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"Child of Demeter, huh? Famous for being so oblivious. But yeah, just taking _my_ _boyfriend's_ armor off," she snapped.

_Oblivious? Boyfriend? __What?_

I turned to face Connor just to find him taking a new interest on his new Converses.

"Katie? This is my girlfriend, Tara. Daughter of Aphrodite," Travis explains.

All I could do was stare at him in complete horror.


	4. D

.Drowning in Tears.

The horrified look on Katie's face that night still burned on Travis's eyelids.

He could remember everything clearly: The way the expression in her eyes shifted from horror to astonishment to hurt, the way her face became guarded, the way her shoulders squared before she ran off to get Chiron. Travis could've sworn that he saw her eyes glistening with tears.

Then someone opened the door.

The person came in. Her hair was pulled back with a bandana, her eyes determined and set. She even bothered to clean up a little after a hard day's work.

"Nyssa," Travis breathed.

"Yeah. How're you doin', Trav?" she asked.

"Not bad, I suppose," he answered.

Nyssa rolled her eyes before she replied. "You should really get that wound to heal. Everybody misses your pranks. Chiron strictly has shut down the visiting hours here in the infirmary – I guess except for the 'close friends.'"

"Yeah. It's been two days..."

She must've assumed that he was talking about his stays in the infirmary, for she just smiled and nodded. But what really he was thinking of about was Katie Gardner. He didn't mean to hurt her. It was never Travis's plan. But apparently, some things don't come out as you want it to.

The cabin was empty except for Katie.

She'd spent the last couple days in there, pretending to be sick. Sometimes she had company, though, most of the times, she's all alone. What exactly is the point of pretending to be physically sick when you already are emotionally and mentally?

She had bawled her eyes out once she left Travis in the infirmary that night. You could say that she's drowning in tears. Almost every one of her siblings tried to comfort her, but no such luck. What would you expect from one with a broken heart?

_Maybe he never really liked me. Maybe it was just another prank, _Katie repeats over and over. But it seemed so real. So beautiful, Travis's feelings. When the expression in his eyes went swirling in a flurry of emotions. The time when Travis knelt down to pick those flowers for her. That day when he spun on his heels because he'd seen her with Will. They seemed real and amazing and majestic and lovely. _But why is it that the boy I love has a new girlfriend? _She'd asked herself.

_Because I thought she didn't want me. Because I assumed that she didn't want me, _Travis explained to himself. _And I just wanted to move on._

But it was stupid. The plan was – _is _stupid. He'd already hurt Katie's feelings before; he'd declined all of her Iris Messages, burnt the notes and letters she'd written him, waved her off when she tried for a conversation.

And he's hurt her, _again_.

_Damned selfish self_, Travis would say. He shouldn't have given up so easily on her. Even if Solace admires her, Travis should've played aggressively and tried winning her love as well.

But his mind had other plans. He had asked the prettiest Aphrodite girl out. And she said yes. Now Katie's mad at him. Those plans ruined his chance of being with the one he truly loved.

_Be careful of love._

_It twists your brain around and leave you thinking that up is down and right is wrong._


	5. E

_**.Eerie Desires.**_

_**.Katie.**_

Two weeks has passed.

I've started going out of our cabin already, which they say, is an improvement. For a whole seven days, I never set foot outside, unless taking swift, quick showers. Malcolm and Annabeth needed to visit me for my Ancient Greek classes whenever possible, and my Monster Assault class was also done by my bed, with Connor and Chris instead of Connor and _Travis_. I suppose Travis doesn't want to see me anymore, and I could understand why. Because I couldn't save him from Will's damned arrow, and because I was idiotic enough to get flattered by the attention Will Solace gave me.

A taller boy accidentally ran into me, breaking my reverie. I couldn't see his face because the sun masked it with shadows, but he is kind enough to help me up. His scent was awfully familiar, sweet and bitter at the same time, like bubblegum and pepper spray mixed together.

"Katie..."

My ears became hot, and so did my cheeks. His voice was like rough silk, with a bit of an accent I can't detect, but I found it beautiful. Its owner is Travis.

"Katie... I'm sorry." He grabbed my hand and continued, "I swear on the Styx, I'm so sorry—"

"'So sorry' for what, Trav? For dating that Aphrodite girl? You know how much I despise them. Save your damned 'Oh gods, I'm so sorry!', because I don't need them! And you know what? Can you kindly screw off for once? I'd gladly appreciate it!"

Even I startled myself.

The genuine hurt spread across Travis's face quicker than the speed of sound. It was hard not to apologize to him. _Maybe I went too far..._

"I apologize for this..." Travis mutters

_For what? Apologize for what?_

And then he swept me off my feet.

Travis Stoll is the swiftest and nimblest runner to ever live in my opinion. Even if I weighed him down, he still ran two times faster than I could have. His left arm supported my back, and his right arm wound underneath my knees. Normally, I would've been flattered by the attention he's giving me, but we were heading straight towards the woods.

"Travis! Put me down! TRAVIS STOLL, LISTEN. PUT ME DOWN OR ELSE—"

"Or else what?" he laughed as we approached the first of the trees.

I couldn't do or say anything because it's pointless. Travis would never slow down unless he wants to. So all I did was shut my big mouth and watched his eyes twinkle when it catches sunlight. Shifting from an intense blue shade, to a baby blue, and finally, to a pale blue, it made me realize how much more beautiful Travis's eyes were. His eyes took the shape of an almond, with long, thin lashes.

Travis finally stopped running.

Gently, he set me down on my feet, and I looked around to find ourselves in the middle of nowhere. And right then, I started complaining. I found Travis staring at me, his eyes snaking from my eyebrows down to my waist and back up to my face. He smiled, lingering a bit when he looked at my lips. That shushed all my whines. I was sure that he stood a foot or two away from me a minute ago, but now, I'm aware of the little distance between us.

"Kates," he breathed.

He looked at my lips lazily, through his lashes, as if he just woke up. Travis then lifted his left hand to touch my cheek, letting it slip down to my chin before tilting his face and placing his mouth squarely on mine. His lips were soft, and so were his kisses. It wasn't something I've expected; I've always thought kissing Travis Stoll would be fast and desperate. But here I am, standing with my body pressed onto his, him towering over me and needing to bend down. His hands snaked up my neck, then down on my waist, and finally rested on the small of my back. He pulled back just long enough to half whisper something that I couldn't quite interpret. My hands found its way to his hair, where I curled my fingers and gently pulled him closer, if that's even possible.

The intimacy rose as he reached for the hem of my shirt and slipped his hand to touch the bare skin of my back, and I _remembered_. Remembered that night two weeks ago: when he got aimed at because of me, when I was so desperate to know whether he was okay or not that I pulled him onto my lap, when he sat up and kissed me because I was crying, when he told me that he started going out with one of Aphrodite's children.

And I pulled away.

"Oh shit... I—" He took a step closer to me.

I unsheathed my dagger and held it up with trembling hands.

"If you ever try to come closer to me again, I'm slitting your throat with this knife."

That's what all I said before running back to where I believe was the cabin circle.


	6. F

_**.Friends or Foes?.**_

_**.Travis.**_

"Do you miss her?" Connor asked.

We were in the middle of planning a new prank. This time we're targeting Cabin 5, Ares's troops, when Cabin 4 came up, and of course, Katie was brought up. I haven't talked to her in months. And yes, I do miss her, so much that it aches like crazy. It definitely proved that there were things worse than death.

"Trav?" my brother inquired.

"What?"

"_Do you miss her?"_

My eyes turned misty.

Ever since that encounter in the woods, I've been the most emotional teenager in camp. I believe I could even best a pregnant lady.

"Yes, I do. I miss her like crazy, and there's no point in hiding it. I want her so bad, but I can't. Why? Because I've fucked everything up!"

Connor's intense glare softened, almost like pitying me. And I _hated_ it.

So I got up, unable to control my anger. I stormed off to the cabin's entryway without looking back at him.

"I'll see you in a bit, I suppose," I heard him mutter.

The anger subsided as soon as I swung the door shut behind me. It was pretty cold, despite the camp's magical weather. But what really surprised me is a small figure sitting on a porch, staring out onto the sky. The light silhouetted her, and I can't tell who she is. Normally, I would've addressed her, but instead I walked closer, to see her better, to know who she is.

She whirled around in surprise when I was a foot away from the railing, almost falling off. I was disappointed when I saw her face. The silhouetted girl wasn't Katie; she was one of her siblings, Miranda.

I started apologizing for startling her, but she waved those off. She said that I shouldn't apologize to _her_, but to _someone_ else.

"You mean your sister, Katie."

"Who else do you think, idiot?" she retorted.

I could only stare at her. Miranda looked nothing like Katie, with deep brown eyes and chocolate colored hair, but still stunning. Her face says she's furious.

"Look… I didn't mean to… Honestly…" I stammered.

"No need an explanation for _me_. Save it for Katie!" And with that, she stormed off.

I suppose I need to talk to her. Apologize, beg for forgiveness, all that shit.

Though, it feels like it's scary as hell. All the words that'll accidentally slip out of my mouth—the ones I don't want her to know just yet, all the stammering I'll do—gods, I can't do this.

"You know you _could_ do it," a voice from behind me came. "If you're really into her, you'd stop being cocky and start talking to the girl." The owner's voice was familiar. _Chris Rodriguez_.

"Easy for you to say... Clarisse was _in love_ with you."

"True. But did she give up on me? When everyone thought I was crazy, that I was hopeless— Clarisse never gave up. She stayed by my side until Dionysus came. _Don't ever give up on the people you love, Travis,_" he said. The last sentence—gods. He was talking about Luke. Well, in a way, I suppose.

My hands found their way on the railing, shifting my weight to steady myself. I sighed, "Chris. It's not as easy as it looks."

"It isn't, but as a child of Hermes, I say it's worth the trouble."

"But what if it isn't?"

He punched me lightly from behind. "I've never seen you so desperate and hopeless, Travis Stoll. You truly never cease to amuse me."

"And since when did you start talking like an old person?" came from a different voice. It was definitely a bit too high to be a guy's, but not quite high enough for an Aphrodite girl's. I looked towards the entrance of the cabin where the voice came from. It took a moment for me to realize the owner of the voice was from one of my half siblings from Los Angeles, Artemis. Despite the fact that she was named after one of the maiden goddesses and the one who strongly dislikes the company of men, my sister is capable of dating at least six guys at once.

Chris, who had come to join me, turned so he could face her. "Honestly Art, I think Father claimed the wrong girl, since you're more likely to be a descendant of Ares."

"In what way?"

"Hot-headed, short-tempered, unnecessary comments, sarcastic... Gods of Olympus, this list could go on until the next thousand years or so!"

"In my defence, sarcasm can be a trait of Hermes's descendants, and I only seem hot-headed and short-tempered to you, Chris, because you an idiotic half-brother. And besides, telling the truth is better than lying to a person's face, you know."

Chris then turned to look at me for support. "'Tis true, Chris. Every child of Hermes has a sarcastic side, and Art really isn't short-tempered and hot-headed. She's pretty nice if you ask me."

He scowled as Artemis surged forward and gave me a fist bump. Soon enough, all three of us were sitting on the porch's railing, laughing and talking and teasing as any normal siblings would. Then someone called my name.

I jerked my head to see if she really was there, knocking Chris over in the process. And surprising as it sounds, she _is_ there.

"Travis Stoll," Katie Gardner says. Her chin was out by a little in defiance, and her voice broke on _Stoll_, but no one else took notice. My siblings were too surprised to see her. I was giddy, surprised, anxious, eager, and scared.

"Katie..." I replied, scrambling off the railing to talk to her. She stood near the stairs, and so I stood atop of them. I looked back at Chris and Artemis, who seemed to get the message. They quickly filed inside.

"Look, Katie, I'm really sorry—"

"_Di immortals_, enough with the sorry's from you!" She continued, "I came here to tell you that _I_ am sorry. I'm sorry that I ignored you after that corn maze." There were tears in her eyes now. "I'm sorry that I let Solace serenade me, I'm sorry that you got pierced by an arrow, I'm sorry for that encounter in the woods, I—"

I've heard enough. She had nothing to apologize for. So I went down the stairs and engulfed her in my arms.

"Katie... Friends or foes?" I asked.

"Friends," she answers.


	7. G

_**.Gore and Glory.**_

It was Friday.

Chiron has gathered everyone at the dining pavilion, waiting for the campers to settle down. The centaur says, "Capture the Flag won't be the game played tonight, as promised. War Games will take place instead, just to remind us of Deadalus's visitation here at camp. For all our new campers, this game will have a team of two to find the Giant Scorpion in the woods with golden laurels attached to its body. Your goal is to get those laurels. And, of course, the teams are picked out already."

A roar of "Ugh"s and "Aww"s filled up the night's air, making the nearby dryads giggle at the half-bloods' immaturity. Then, Chiron headed towards the entry of the northern woods, where weapons and armors were spread out on tables. When nobody thought he was looking, Travis Stoll, a son of Hermes, whipped his head to steal a smile from Katie Gardner, and when he saw her, she was already looking. She grinned, and her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Travis had a feeling his cheeks had the red hue, too.

When the campers finished their dinner, all of them excitedly rushed towards the northern woods' opening, where the game is to start at. Each of them grabbed their own breastplates to strap on, and for the people without a certain weapon in their possession, they grabbed their weapon of choice; from knives to daggers, to swords and to javelins. Skilled archers grabbed their bows and made sure their quivers were full of arrows. Some children of Hermes made sure their shoe laces were laced, just to avoid injuries when flying. The whole place was in perfect chaotic harmony, blades and bows and all. Artemis Clarke, a daughter of the thief god, plopped down on a log, careful to not sit on her sword. She unsheathed her blade, admiring its dark but beautiful substance.

"Deadly _and _sexy," she heard a voice call behind her. "What's its name? Made out of what? And who owned it once?"

Artemis turned to see her interrogator. He was Pullox from the Dionysus cabin. "Name's αηδόνι. Nightingale in English. Made out of Celestial Bronze, possibly etched with fallen nightingale's blood and feathers. And again, possibly once owned by a descendant of Athenian princesses Philomela and Procne. Why do you ask?"

He answered, "It's quite unusual for Celestial Bronze to be a shade of dark red, and it's probably one of the sexiest blades I've ever seen."

Artemis said nothing in response, but just grinned crookedly at him. Travis finally spotted her after a wild search in the crowd of demigods. He jogged over to the log, and shoved Pollux away teasingly. "Hey Art, Pollux. Mind if I talk to her alone?" Artemis's brother inquired, indicating to her.

"I have no choice," Pollux says in defeat.

Once he strode off, Travis says, "What was that about?"

Artemis grunted before responding. "Just talking about Nightingale. You remember my blade, don't you?"

Of course Travis remembered. Nightingale was by far the most beautiful sword he'd seen, more beautiful his than _Harpe_, one of the weapons retrieved from Ancient Times. It is believed to be the sword Perseus used to slay Medusa.

"Hell, I remember. And don't you even dare start bragging about your blade just because yours is etched with nightingale blood while mine is etched with gorgon blood!"

Then comes laughter, soft and melodious, like a breeze. After that a nymph melted out of her tree and walked towards the bickering siblings.

"Oh Travis, Artemis here isn't being very honest here. They weren't just talking about Nightingale," the nymph informs the boy.

He flashed the devilish grin he had at his sister before formally acknowledging the tree spirit formally. "Cypress, you are the best reporter there is."

Artemis growls at him. "For your information, me and that son of Dionysus were only talking about Nightingale, and if you're assuming that I like him, well stop, because _I don't_."

Cypress and Travis then burst out in a fit of laughter and giggles, talking rapidly in between.

"_What?_" Artemis demands. Her face was turning beet-red.

The nymph managed to stop laughing long enough to say, "Well, we never asked you if you did liked Pollux. And you just get mad at us for n-no r-r-re-rea-reason!"

Thankfully for Artemis, Katie Gardner along with Connor Stoll joined their little group. To prove that she was relieved to see them, she flung herself to Katie, who caught her in an embrace, and did the same with Connor, but also smacking a sisterly kiss on his cheek.

Katie felt warm to the bones when she's near Travis.

It might've been because of that embrace and soothing words she earned from him the day before. Or the kiss they've shared in the woods. She didn't really bother to think of the past at the moment. Right now, her eyes were on him again. Katie had seen him laugh dozens of times. But she had always been fascinated and attracted whenever he does. The crooked smile in between of the amused doubling ups, the twinkling, mischievous blue eyes, the sharp cheekbones and nose, and—

"Half-bloods! I'm here to announce the pairs. Here it goes;

Kayla with Matt, both from Apollo.

Drew from Aphrodite with Nyssa from Hephaestus.

Miranda from Demeter with Jake from Hephaestus."

Chiron not only just interrupted Katie Gardner's reverie, but he also announced the pairs, which seemed to take a _millennia_. She droned him out, only to listen when her name got called up.

"Katie from Demeter with..."

Cliché as it sounds, Flower Girl's heart leaped as she waited for their teacher to announce her partner.

"Katie from Demeter with Artemis from Hermes."

_Damn, _both girls thought. It wasn't that they despised each other, both just hoped to be paired with _someone_ else.

Artemis turned to face her new fighting partner, who grinned at her and said, "Ready to whip everyone's ass?"

Hermes's daughter sniggered before answering. "Hell yeah. But let's go Kates. We don't want Travis and Connor on us, right?" She indicated to the brothers, who seemed to be pleased with the fact that they were paired together.

Katie fished in her jeans pocket, trying to get a ring out. The ring transforms into _Kratos_, her three meter sword made out of Adamantine and Celestial Bronze. She also made sure her whip was coiled and disguised as a bracelet on her wrist. Artemis did the same. She fiddled with her own blade, Nightingale. Checked and rechecked her armor straps. Tied and retied her shoelaces.

And soon enough, the game was to begin.

"Damn!" someone swears.

"What is it Trav?" another said.

"My foot! It's stuck. _Fuck_!" the other replies.

Grunting and swearing happened in those next few moments. Then finally, "Damn it— Yes! There we go. Thanks man."

"Mhm. Now, Maia!"

After that was a noise that sounded like a pair of flapping wings. Then another. The voices and noise then grew distant, heading deeper into the trees.

"You hear that?" a girl asked.

"Yes," another whispered.

"It's coming closer. Get ready to attack. And by the way, on my signal, Flower Girl."

No one replied, just groaning.

The sound was coming closer, whatever it was.

"_One... Two... Three!_" someone whispered.

They sprang from where they were and both tackled what the sound was. A blade caught the moonlight and it revealed one of the voices' face; oval shaped with emerald green eyes, full lips and sharp cheekbones with strands of tawny hair that escaped her helmet. Her partner was still anonymous, but it seemed that she or he had no trouble pinning the newfound threat on the ground, no doubt the weapon by the threat's throat by now.

"Artemis! _What. The. Fuck_?" demands the 'thing.'

"Connor?" answers the one probably named Artemis.

"What the hell is going on?" came from a new voice. "Katie?"

"Travis!" another squealed.

The one with a weapon by his throat said, "What's happening— holy Hera! _Artemis_! Get it off!"

Artemis muttered the word 'whoops' before actually retreating. The second boy who's name was Travis helped the other one before asking again, "_What is going on_?"

"Thought you guys were a threat. Some sort of monster perhaps," answered the girl with emerald eyes.

"These guys are actually—" Artemis was cut off.

The one nicknamed Flower Girl yelled 'duck!' before the other girl could finish her sentence. Luckily, the rest listened, the creature only missing Travis's head by a couple inches. After regrouping, the demigods stood back to back, expecting some sort of ambush. But none came except for a fox the size of a pickup truck.

"The Teaumessian Fox! How in Tartarus did this thing wind up here, and why _now_?" announces Artemis in disgust.

"Artemis. _Fighting now, brilliance later_!" yelled the boy called Connor.

Flower Girl was the first one to face it, so she charged first, knowing she was the weakest fighter out of the four and that they'll have a better chance of defeating it when it's distracted with her. She swung at its front leg, then quickly sliding underneath its belly to pierce it there. The creature howls in pain as Travis followed her lead, yelling her real name while he slashed at the uninjured leg. While doing so, Flower Girl ran in front of the fox again, trying to get its attention. This time she wasn't the luckiest. The oversized fox picked her up like a young animal; by the neck, and thankfully just on the hem of her shirt. She then was flung aside like a ragdoll, screaming in terror one minute and was then silenced like a church mouse the next.

Travis yelled, "Katie!" before hacking at the creature's left hind leg. It then again howls in pain, but it didn't seem to be pain this time. More of annoyance, actually. Connor and Artemis finally found their senses. "The Teaumessian Fox is destined to never be caught," Artemis explains to her brother. "Amphitryon was clever enough to think of Laelaps to chase the fox. But we have no magical dogs here. Unless..." She looked around to scan her surroundings. It was getting darker, and the game was probably going to end soon. Although, they can't just leave the monster lurking here in the woods.

Artemis whispered something rapidly to Connor. Travis was in the process of stabbing and hacking the creature, and turned to look at his siblings for support. And they all got the idea after one look at each others' eyes.

Everyone scrambled about. All were positioned in a stance, though two were going to be doing some flying. Travis and Connor both muttered "Maia!" at the same time. Wings sprouted from their shoes and the brothers aimed right at its snout. Careful to not get too close, both boys swung at the monster, making red gashes all over its long nose. It howled some more, and this time Artemis was there to stop it. She'd managed to sneak up on it and slice its head off, and the piercing howl was stopped.

"'_Destined to never be caught_,' not '_never be killed_,'" Artemis announces in triumph. But Travis wasn't listening. He'd made a run for Katie already, who was still a motionless heap on the ground. Once there, he slid her helmet off and looked for injuries. A gash about two inches long, and one that needed sewing decorated her forehead, making her hair matted with blood and her face streaked with it. Then Travis carefully slips her armor off, who was not happy about Katie's rib cage because it was in odd directions. Her left arm too was broken, and bruises started blooming on her skin. He pulls her into him carefully and checks her pulse. It was fairly stable in Travis's opinion, but he wanted—_needed_ Katie walking and talking and laughing again. Without even waiting for his siblings, Travis sped past through trees with Demeter's daughter in his arms. And then, a horn told the demigods that the game was over.

_It was worth the gore_, Travis thinks. _But is there ever glory when Katie isn't conscious to celebrate it with me?_


End file.
